By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, has released a new set of educational resources in recognition of Autism Acceptance Month.
The new release marks a decade of its initiative aimed at promoting inclusion for children with autism. Dr. Abigail Bucuvalas, senior director of curriculum and programs in the Global Education Department, said the initiative has demonstrated measurable impact over its 10-year run.
“Over the past decade, we’ve seen firsthand how our resources can transform classrooms and communities into authentically inclusive spaces, helping all children better understand one another and build meaningful relationships,” Bucuvalas said. “Our commitment extends across the world, bringing these educational experiences rooted in kindness and respect to millions of children worldwide.”
The materials are part of the Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative, which has provided resources for families, educators and advocates for the past 10 years. The new release includes four videos, three printable activities and one article, all featuring Sesame Street Muppets and available in both English and Spanish. The resources were developed with input from autism experts and community members.
Sesame Workshop is a pioneer in both its treatment of autistic children as characters, and also in providing materials that promote acceptance not just of autistic children, but of any children who may be different in some way, such as having a physical or mental handicap.
At the center of Sesame Workshop’s approach is the character Julia, a four-year-old girl with autism from Sesame Street, who was introduced in 2015 as part of the Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative. She is a young girl with bright orange hair and big green eyes and is friends with Elmo and Abby.
According to the Muppet Fandom Wiki page, “Julia’s characterization was originated by Leslie Kimmelman for the digital storybook We’re Amazing, 1, 2, 3! She used her own experiences as the mother of a child with autism, as well as input from research and advisers from the autism community, to inform the story.”
Thanks to the positive response to the outreach initiative, Julia was made into a physical Muppet that debuted on April 10, 2017.
The newly created videos cover themes of kindness, connection, participation and peer support. In one, characters Julia and Elmo demonstrate different ways of showing kindness to a new friend. Another music video featuring Julia, Elmo, Zoe and others models how children can connect across differences through patience and understanding. A third shows Julia and Elmo participating in story time in ways that feel comfortable to them, while a fourth depicts Elmo helping Julia locate her headphones before a fire drill.
That latter example is one way Sesame Workshop is helping children understand what their autistic classmates are going through. Autistic children, teenagers, and adults often wear headphones or cover their ears in response to loud sounds or environments with multiple competing noises. These individuals can be more sensitive to auditory stimuli, and certain sounds that may seem ordinary to others can cause discomfort or distress. In the past, autistic children were often told to remove their headphones by teachers who were unaware that multiple sounds can be overwhelming for autistic kids.
The printable activities are all similarly designed to help children practice friendship skills and explore different ways to play and communicate. The accompanying article offers guidance for adults on fostering inclusion and building supportive communities.
The new materials are available at sesame.org/autism. Sesame Workshop, which has operated for more than 50 years, distributes content to families in more than 190 countries.